READY TO STORM
Israeli forces poised to pour into Lebanon as tanks mass at border & 1000s more troops called up after terror boss hit
Two US officials claim 'border movements' have begun - or are about to
ISRAELI forces have begun operations to pave the way for an invasion of southern Lebanon for a showdown with Hezbollah terror troops.
US sources said Israel Defense Forces will soon have “boots on the ground” in small operations across the border to take out threatening Hezbollah positions.
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Defence minister Yoav Gallant held talks on Saturday over the possibility of expanding Israel's military operation - hours after they assassinated Hezbollah terror boss Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.
Mr Gallant's office said he was conducting "an operational situation assessment" regarding "the expansion of IDF activities in the northern arena" - at the border with Lebanon.
Moves described as small-scale “border movements” were under way as thousands of Israeli reservists were drafted to join a new ground war across the northern frontier.
Crack commando units battle-hardened from months of fighting Hamas in Gaza have already been moved into position and are training for the bloody ground incursion.
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Miles of terror tunnels, minefields and booby traps laid by their dug-in enemy await them - along with fanatical militia stung by the loss of their leader.
Pictures showed Israeli tanks and troops massing near the border on Saturday - where Israel has already sent two brigades to prepare for a possible ground invasion.
On Friday night, Israel is said to have blitzed the command bunker of Hezbollah's terror boss with more than 80 bombs in a last minute operation.
Israeli strikes ripped through the Nasrallah's underground bunker - eliminating the firebrand Secretary-General after a 32-year reign.
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The Israeli leaders decided to take the gamble as they believed they only had a short window to kill him.
Watch as another Hezbollah chief is eliminated in blitz as Israel vows 'all of Lebanon' in crosshairs & truce hopes fade
IDF chiefs later released images showing the F-15I fighter jets laden with the high-tech bombs which killed the terror chief.
Analysis has shown 15 US-made BLU-109 “bunker buster” munitions slung beneath the wings of eight warjets taking off in quick succession.
The bombs - fitted with JDAM guidance system which uses global positioning satellites to hit targets - were on the Israeli Air Force’s 69th Squadron jets taking off from Hatzerim Air base.
The same planes were caught on film returning to the base at dusk minus their deadly payload after the bombs brought down six buildings, entombing Nasrallah along with top commanders.
Israel's military said at least 20 other Hezbollah militants were killed in the strike - including two close associates of Nasrallah.
The killing of the powerful militant group's longtime leader sent shockwaves throughout Lebanon and the Middle East.
He has been a dominant political and military figure for more than three decades.
But the assassination of the Islamist firebrand on Friday along with a raft of commanders and the stunning success of its pager and walkie-talkie blitz has put Israel on the front foot.
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Over the last 11 months, Israel has eliminated nearly all of the terrorist top brass - including senior leaders Nabil Kaouk and Ali Karaki.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu personally signed off the attack on Nasrallah while in New York for the UN General Assembly.
In his first public remarks since the assassination, Netanyahy said they had "settled the score" with the killing - and vowed to "continue to strike our enemies".
Warning of more to come, he said: "There is no place in Iran nor the Middle East where the long arm of Israel cannot reach."
And commanders are now urging Netanyahu to press home their advantage to secure a buffer zone which will make it safe for 60,000 Israeli refugees to return home.
Towns along the frontier have been evacuated ever since Hezbollah launched attacks in support of its Hamas allies after the October 7 massacres.
US President Joe Biden said the killing of Nasrallah was a "measure of justice" for his many victims.
He said: "The United States fully supports Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups."
There is no place in Iran nor the Middle East where the long arm of Israel cannot reach
Benjamin Netanyahu
And on Sunday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin authorised the military to bolster its presence in the Middle East with "defensive" air support.
The Pentagon said it has put other forces on a heightened readiness status.
Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder said: "Secretary Austin made clear that should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every necessary measure to defend our people."
Nasrallah has been in hiding for years amid increasing tensions with Israel with him rarely being seen in public.
His last national appearance followed the deadly pager and walkie-talkie blasts earlier this month.
Should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every necessary measure to defend our people
Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder
The death is another watershed moment in the 11-month long war that has seen thousands killed and hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes.
In the hours after the blitz on the Hezbollah terror boss, Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed to have fired a ballistic missile at Netanyahu as he landed back in Israel.
Air raid sirens sounded across Israel on Saturday afternoon after the Houthi attempt as the missile fired from Yemen was intercepted, the Israeli military said.
On Sunday, Israel continued blasting "dozens" of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
The Israel Defense Forces "attacked dozens of terrorist targets in the territory of Lebanon in the last few hours," the army said.
They said the strikes targeted "buildings where weapons and military structures of the organisation were stored".
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More than 700 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon, according to health ministry figures, since the bombing of Hezbollah strongholds began earlier this month.
How Nasrallah's death could drag the West and end up with Khamenei's assassination
By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter
ISRAEL has killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a series of massive aircraft strikes that rocked Lebanon.
It is all but certain that his death will mark a huge shift in the Middle East crisis, with Hezbollah being left incredibly weak and Iran losing grip on its biggest terror proxy.
Many experts are seeing the death of Nasrallah - considered by many to be the single most powerful individual in Lebanon - as a potential escalation in the regional crisis that could now explode into an all-out war.
And they fear that the West could soon get dramatically involved in the conflict.
Dr Alan Mandoza, Executive Founder of Brit think tank Henry Jackson Society, told The Sun: "The most likely Western power to become involved in any Middle Eastern conflict right now is the US, which might be brought into war through a Hezbollah or Iranian response to Israel’s recent successes.
"If Israel is bombarded by missile strikes, the US might well join in with its defence.
"[But] if the attack was from Iran, it could even see the UK and France join in.
"If Iran responds with real aggression then this could see a regional war break out. "
It's feared Iran could respond by targeting Israel directly, sending weapons through Iraq and Syria to Lebanon or sending fighters to Lebanon to shore up Hezbollah, Professor Fawaz Gerges from LSE told Sky News.
Following Nasrallah's death, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei - one of his closest allies - issued a chilling message to Israel.
He did not mention Nasrallah - but slammed Israel for the massive blitz on Lebanon.
Khamenei said Lebanon would make Israel "regret their actions" and blasted the "shortsighted and foolish" policies of Israeli leaders.
He claimed Israel was "too small" to cause any damage to Hezbollah.
However, there have been multiple reports as of this morning suggesting that Khamenei has been moved to a safe hideout inside Iran, prompting speculations that he too could be on Israel's hit list.
Dr Alan added: "Israel has already shown its ability to strike inside Iran with missiles and assassinations, so Ayatollah Khamenei will certainly be aware that he is an Israeli target.
"Israel will need a plan like the one it has deployed against Hezbollah in recent months in order to ensure that this is not simply one assassination but part of a concerted and concentrated assault against the whole of Iran’s leadership and the Islamic State’s ability to defend itself."
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